Restaurant News

Francar's Opens New Location

Wingin' it now with TWO locations!

Over the past four years, Macon-Bibb has spent over $600,000 of SPLOST money on improving Bowden Golf Course. In addition to the improvements at the golf course, locally-owned Francars Buffalo Wings has officially opened its doors at the course this week.

Photo: Macon-Bibb Office of Public Affairs

According to Macon- Bibb spokesman Chris Floore, "Francar’s Buffalo Wings and Macon-Bibb County celebrated the restaurant’s 23rd Anniversary with a Grand Opening of the new Francar’s at Bowden on Monday, March 14. Francar’s at Bowden is open every day from 9:00 a.m. until the course closes. They feature the full menu people expect, plus some golfer friendly food like sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken salad, beer, and more. To see the full menu, click here. According to Carl Fambro, owner of Francar’s Wings, he was looking to expand his business after having success with his location in Mercer Village. He had seen local media coverage of the work being done to improve the Golf Course and the efforts by Macon-Bibb and the golfing community to attract more people through improvements, programs, and recognitions, and saw the location as being an excellent opportunity for his business. After visiting the space available for a restaurant, Fambro saw the potential to offer great food to golfers and the community."

Photo: Macon-Bibb Office of Public Affairs

About Bowden Golf Course
In February 2015, Bowden Golf Course was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination was sponsored by the City of Macon and the Macon Golf for Kids program. Since 2013, approximately $625,000 from the voter-approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) has been spent on improvements at Historic Bowden Golf Course.

In January 2016, the Macon-Bibb Commission set new prices for playing golf at Bowden Golf Course. An annual membership costs $600. Daily rates are $20 for Monday through Thursday play, and $25 for Friday through Sunday play. There is also a disc golf course at Bowden, and it costs $3.21 to play 18 holes.

This 18-hole public golf course was designed in 1938 by John “Dick” C. Cotton (1907-1994), a Macon professional golfer and businessman. Cotton and other local golfers approached the City of Macon about the need for a public course after the Lakeside Course in Macon closed in the mid-1930s. The mayor of Macon, Charles Bowden, agreed to assist in any way, except financially because the city had no money during the Great Depression to build golf courses. A former, but vacant, airfield in east Macon, known as Miller Field, proved to be the ideal spot to lay out an 18-hole course. With the help of Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor, equipment from various businesses throughout the city, and the sale of subscriptions to fund materials, the course was completed and opened in September 1940.